NORFOLK, Va. – Head coach Andrew Griffiths and the Old Dominion University field hockey team announced their schedule on Tuesday afternoon for the upcoming 2014 season, which includes 11 opponents from the 2013 NCAA Tournament, all four 2013 Final Four participants and seven conference champions from a year ago.

"I think we play a strong schedule, the challenge is great, and helps us to improve throughout the season,” said Griffiths. “Seven of our opponents were 2013 conference champions. We will play all four of last year’s final four teams, and 11 of the 18 teams on this year’s schedule played in last year’s NCAA tournament. We will be ready for the challenge again, and we are looking forward to competing with the best teams in the NCAA."

Old Dominion is coming off a 13-8 campaign a year ago in Griffiths first season at the helm in Norfolk, as ODU led the BIG EAST in shutouts and reached the NCAA Second Round after winning 12 games in a row in the middle of the season. The Lady Monarchs return 16 players from last year’s roster including their five leading point scorers from the 2013 season. The Lady Monarchs really began to execute Griffith's system towards then end of the season, which was evident from their last three performances in October, as they took down No. 4 UConn (5-0), No. 2 UNC (3-2, OT) and No. 1 Maryland (3-2) in consecutive contests.

Starting the second year as an associate member of the BIG EAST Conference, the Lady Monarchs field hockey team will play a five-game conference schedule in addition to one of the country’s most challenging 13-game non-conference slate, which includes a marquee matchup with the 2013 NCAA Division I National Champion, Connecticut.

Old Dominion will be tested early, as they open their season playing five consecutive games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year. ODU will start their season with two away games against historic rival Penn State on Aug. 29 in State College, Penn. and American on Aug. 31 in Washington, D.C.

The first home game for the Lady Monarchs will be on Sept. 5 against Wake Forest at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex. After the first home game, Old Dominion will be back on the road on Sept. 7 facing Liberty in Lynchburg, Va. The following weekend ODU will face NCAA semi-finalist Duke on Sept. 12 and then Monmouth on Sept. 14.

The Lady Monarchs will then head to Williamsburg to visit in-state rival, William & Mary, on Sept. 19, which will be part of the two school’s annual Optimal Health Challenge, before returning home to face Delaware on Sept. 21 and JMU on Sept. 28.

As October begins, ODU will start their BIG EAST conference campaign at home against Villanova on Oct. 3, before taking on Maryland in a non-conference showdown in College Park on Oct. 5. Griffiths’ Lady Monarchs will have two contests in Connecticut, first taking on the 2013 National Champion, UConn, on Oct. 10 at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex, and then Quinnipiac in Hamden on Oct. 12.

The Lady Monarchs will return home to compete against Temple on Oct. 17, before stepping out of conference yet again to play against another in-state rival in UVA, in Charlottesville on Oct. 19. The Lady Monarchs will hit the road one last time for the regular season at the end of October to face Providence and Georgetown on Oct. 24 and 31, respectively.

ODU will close their regular season at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex against six-time National Champion, UNC, on Nov. 2.